John o' Groats Receives Green Light
Our detailed planning application to redevelop and transform John o'Groats to help realise its full potential as a major tourist destination has been given the go-ahead by Highland Council.
Working on behalf of a joint venture partnership between Natural Retreats and Heritage Great Britain, our imaginative architectural plans for John o'Groats (recipient of the 2010 Carbuncle Award – Most dismal town in Scotland) will breathe new life into a desolate area adjacent to the harbour to make John o'Groats a destination that will live up to its famous name.
Our designs include the complete refurbishment and major extension of the Scottish baronial John o'Groats hotel, which has lain empty and boarded up for over a decade; and to create a self-catering ‘aparthotel&rsquo containing nineteen unique apartments. The landmark Victorian hotel will be stripped of its unsightly accretions and restored to its former stark splendour. Against this the coloured timber structures of the extension will provide a splash of colour against a bleak landscape.
Taking design inspiration from the area's connections with Scandinavia, architect Neil McAllister, said: “I wanted to create a reinterpretation of the vernacular that echoes the pure gabled form with a contemporary twist to create a piece of fun — a destination in itself.”
Our proposals also include the construction of 23 self-catering timber-clad luxury holiday residencies and a completely remodelled Journeys End Café. The café, which is currently a functional but uninspiring building, will be extended and gain a new frontage to address the public space. Important in this location will be the balance of solid masonry and glazing to create a place that allows people to be in the landscape and observe the elements while being protected from them.
Construction is due to start in earnest in Spring 2011 with completion of the ten acre site planned for Summer 2012. By using sustainable construction techniques using locally sourced materials including Caithness stone, home grown timber and green roofs, the completed development will be pitched at the ‘excellent’ level in terms of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating, in line with Natural Retreat's Green Tourism Gold standards.
Anne Johnstone, architect and director at GLM, has steered the application through planning. “The planning process in Scotland has undergone a revolution in recent months and we are naturally delighted that our professional team has got to grips with all the idiosyncrasies of the new system and successfully guided the application through on its first submission. We have had to work with a large range of consultants – archaeologists, landscape architects, ecologists and engineers – who have all helped to make this a coherent application.”
Ian McKee, managing director of GLM, explained: “We consulted the local community and worked with them throughout the design stage to create a lively and cheerful design and this, together with a sensitive approach to the local environment, was key to the early success of the planning application. We have been delighted to see the letters of support the application received.”
He went on to say: “Importantly, this new development will help create construction jobs and, when complete, will provide a much-needed boost to the local community. Our task is now to turn these plans into buildings. We are looking forward to working up the sustainable detailed design. Now the fun begins!”
More images and drawings are available to view below:
Concept
Hotel - View of frontage
Hotel - Aerial
Hotel - Rear view
Hotel - Ground floor plan
Hotel - First floor plan
Hotel - Second floor plan
Hotel - Elevations
Hotel - More elevations
Café - plan
Café - elevations
Café - more elevations
Working on behalf of a joint venture partnership between Natural Retreats and Heritage Great Britain, our imaginative architectural plans for John o'Groats (recipient of the 2010 Carbuncle Award – Most dismal town in Scotland) will breathe new life into a desolate area adjacent to the harbour to make John o'Groats a destination that will live up to its famous name.
Our designs include the complete refurbishment and major extension of the Scottish baronial John o'Groats hotel, which has lain empty and boarded up for over a decade; and to create a self-catering ‘aparthotel&rsquo containing nineteen unique apartments. The landmark Victorian hotel will be stripped of its unsightly accretions and restored to its former stark splendour. Against this the coloured timber structures of the extension will provide a splash of colour against a bleak landscape.
Taking design inspiration from the area's connections with Scandinavia, architect Neil McAllister, said: “I wanted to create a reinterpretation of the vernacular that echoes the pure gabled form with a contemporary twist to create a piece of fun — a destination in itself.”
Our proposals also include the construction of 23 self-catering timber-clad luxury holiday residencies and a completely remodelled Journeys End Café. The café, which is currently a functional but uninspiring building, will be extended and gain a new frontage to address the public space. Important in this location will be the balance of solid masonry and glazing to create a place that allows people to be in the landscape and observe the elements while being protected from them.
Construction is due to start in earnest in Spring 2011 with completion of the ten acre site planned for Summer 2012. By using sustainable construction techniques using locally sourced materials including Caithness stone, home grown timber and green roofs, the completed development will be pitched at the ‘excellent’ level in terms of the BRE Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) rating, in line with Natural Retreat's Green Tourism Gold standards.
Anne Johnstone, architect and director at GLM, has steered the application through planning. “The planning process in Scotland has undergone a revolution in recent months and we are naturally delighted that our professional team has got to grips with all the idiosyncrasies of the new system and successfully guided the application through on its first submission. We have had to work with a large range of consultants – archaeologists, landscape architects, ecologists and engineers – who have all helped to make this a coherent application.”
Ian McKee, managing director of GLM, explained: “We consulted the local community and worked with them throughout the design stage to create a lively and cheerful design and this, together with a sensitive approach to the local environment, was key to the early success of the planning application. We have been delighted to see the letters of support the application received.”
He went on to say: “Importantly, this new development will help create construction jobs and, when complete, will provide a much-needed boost to the local community. Our task is now to turn these plans into buildings. We are looking forward to working up the sustainable detailed design. Now the fun begins!”
More images and drawings are available to view below:
Concept
Hotel - View of frontage
Hotel - Aerial
Hotel - Rear view
Hotel - Ground floor plan
Hotel - First floor plan
Hotel - Second floor plan
Hotel - Elevations
Hotel - More elevations
Café - plan
Café - elevations
Café - more elevations